Calendar for October 8th, 2012

Columbus Day

On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island in the Bahamas, convinced that he had reached the East Indies. The anniversary of his landing in the New World was first formally celebrated in 1792, by the Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) in New York City. Now, it is celebrated nationally on the second Monday in October.

1750s

Died 1754: Henry Fielding (writer)

1755: Acadians, refusing to swear loyalty to British crown, were expelled from Nova Scotia

1790s

Died 1793: John Hancock (businessman)

1810s

Born 1810: James Wilson Marshall (pioneer)

1830s

Born 1838: John Hay (politician)

1860s

Died 1869: Franklin Pierce (14th U.S. president)

1870s

1871: Deadly forest fire began in Peshtigo, Wisconsin

1871: Great Chicago Fire began in a stable on the west side of the Chicago River when, historians agree, Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over an oil lamp

1880s

Born 1883: Otto Heinrich Warburg (biochemist)

1890s

Born 1890: Edward V. Rickenbacker (WWI flying ace)

Born 1895: Juan Peron (former president of Argentina)

1910s

Born 1917: Billy Conn (boxer)

1920s

Born 1920: Frank Patrick Herbert (author)

1930s

Born 1930: Faith Ringgold (artist & writer)

1936: Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) began tour of United States

Born 1939: Paul Hogan (actor)

1940s

Born 1941: Jesse Jackson (politician)

Born 1943: Chevy Chase (actor)

Born 1943: R. L. Stine (author)

1944: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuted

Born 1949: Sigourney Weaver (actress)

1950s

1956: NY Yankees pitcher, Don Larsen, pitched the first perfect baseball game in World Series history

1957: Walter O'Malley, president and chief stockholder of the Brooklyn Dodgers, announced that his baseball team would move to Los Angeles.

1960s

Born 1968: Emily Procter (actress)

1970s

Born 1970: Matt Damon (actor)

1980s

1981: Possible UFO photographed, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Born 1985: Bruno Mars (singer)

1990s

1990: Judge David Souter was sworn in as the 105th U.S. Supreme Court justice

1994: Congress approves the California Desert Bill. The bill will allow for the expansion and upgrade of Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Monuments, as well as the creation of the Mojave National Preserve and several large wilderness areas. Republicans filibustered against the bill but failed to prevent its passing. Affecting 6 million acres, the legislation was the largest land conservation bill ever enacted for the US outside Alaska

2000s

2001: Tom Ridge was sworn in as the first director of the newly created Office of Homeland Security

2004: Kenyan Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the first African woman to receive the award.

2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan and parts of India and Afghanistan. More than 73,000 lives were lost